Rabbi Roodyn

The Malbim applies this principle of ‘small is beautiful’ to the universe as a whole. Whilst it is true that the universe is vast beyond our comprehension, it is based on one basic principle, namely the force of gravity.

Planetary orbits are a fine balancing act between momentum and gravity. As the planets fly through space they want to move in a straight line but the gravity from the Sun attempts to pull the planets towards it, which curves their paths. The planets currently lie in a perfect balance that results in each planet moving fast enough to not be pulled closer to the Sun, but not too fast that it moves away from the Sun and out of the Solar System.

Similarly, he says there are basic laws of nature that form the basis of our existence that keep to very structured rules such as the water cycle. In the water cycle, water from oceans, lakes, swamps, rivers, plants, and even you, can turn into water vapour. Water vapour condenses into millions of tiny droplets that form clouds. Clouds lose their water as rain or snow, which is called precipitation. Precipitation is either absorbed into the ground or runs off into rivers. Water that was absorbed into the ground is taken up by plants. Plants lose water from their surfaces as vapour back into the atmosphere. Water that runs off into rivers flows into ponds, lakes, or oceans where it evaporates back into the atmosphere.

However when we look deeper into our planet we see an ecosystem that world with incredible complexity on every level. The way that the Creator has in his Infinite wisdom designed this world so that every creature receives its own specific source of sustenance and nutrition, the way that plants and animals interact with their own species to reproduce.

To give one simple example from something we are well aware of but rarely appreciate. An tiny apple seed contains all the chemicals and information necessary to create a huge apple tree. In a sense it is like the tiny watch that we mentioned yesterday. Furthermore, apple seeds have hard, durable shells that allow them to pass intact through the digestive systems of animals, a quality which helps the apple to reproduce by distributing its seeds to new locations far from the originating trees.

This, as we will see tomorrow, barely scratches the surface of the Divine wisdom that has created this world as the perfect arena for life. The Rambam points out that appreciating our environment in this way brings us to the mitzvah of ahavas Hashem, loving G-d who created all of this for us. Put simply, the more  we understand, the more we can appreciate. It is this very real sense of appreciation that can bring us to both a sense of awe and love for the Creator, two fundamental pillars of our Torah,.